Many people
think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time of enjoying a longweekend,
and eating a great dinner. Or, perhaps they view it as the startof the Christmas,
"Holiday" season. While these aspects may describeThanksgiving
they are not the real meaning behind it.

The American
tradition of Thanksgiving can be traced to the year 1623.Having gathered
the harvest in November 1623, the governor of thePlymouth
Colony, William Bradford, proclaimed: "All ye Pilgrims with yourwives and
little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill... there tolisten to
the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for allHis blessings."
The pilgrims were to demonstrate their gratitude to Godfor their
survival.

They had
undergone terrific hardships in their migration to their newhomes. After
sailing 9 weeks on the open seas, the 102 puritans arrivedin America
on Nov. 9, 1620. That first winter was very difficult and theywere not
really prepared for the hardships they were to endure. It wasdifficult
for them to care for the sick because the sick out-numbered thosewho were
healthy. By the end of the winter, many lives had been lost. Ithas been
estimated that as many as one-half of the pilgrims may havedied. The
years that followed were filled with hard work and uncertainty.Still, they
were comforted and encouraged by the Lord and were gratefulfor His
blessing during those difficult years.

Over 150
years later, On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, thefirst National
Thanksgiving was proclaimed and signed by the Presidentof the Continental
Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 wasdesignated
"for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart andone voice
the good people may express the grateful feelings of theirhearts,
and consecrate themselves to the service of their DivineBenefactor;...
and their humble and earnest supplication that it mayplease God,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive andblot them
(their manifold sins) out of remembrance... That it may pleaseHim... to
take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary forcultivating
the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturinghand, and
to prosper the means of religion for the promotion andenlargement
of that kingdom which consisteth of 'righteousness, peaceand joy
in the Holy Ghost'..."

George Washington
wrote a proclamation in which Thursday, the 19th dayof February,
1795 was set aside as a National Day of Thanksgiving. Hestated that
it is "our duty as a people, with devout reverence andaffectionate
gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations tolmighty
God, and to implore Him to continue is our duty as a people, withdevout reverence
and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our manyand great
obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continueand confirm
the blessings we experienced..."

On October
3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln and the U.S Congress establishedthe first
annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday ofNovember,
as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Fatherwho dwelleth
in the heavens."

So it is
that on Thanksgiving each year, Americans give thanks to God,acknowledging
His blessings toward us throughout the year. Our gratitudeis not directed
toward our jobs, our successes, our material blessings orour health;
but rather we give thanks to our God for the grace and mercyHe has granted.

Bible References upon which to reflect:

Psalm 69:30
"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him withthanksgiving." Psalm 100:4
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts withpraise;
give thanks to him and praise his name." Eph. 5:4
"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarsejoking,
which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." Phil. 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, byprayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to